Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
I’m not sure how long I walk for, but eventually when I look around, I find it’s dark outside and I’ve made my way into Sunrise Estates. I hear a whooshing sound and then a loud crack. When I look to my left, I see Landon hitting balls into a net in his front yard.
“Good job,” I say aloud.
Landon turns around and grins. “What’re you doing out? Isn’t it past your bedtime?”
“Ha-ha.” I walk over and lean against the side of his car while he turns his pitching machine off. “My mom grounded me and took my phone, so I left.” Saying the words out loud makes me realize how impulsive I was to leave like that. Eventually, I’m going to have to go home and everything will only be worse because I left.
“That’s tough.” He sets his bat on the side of his mobile home and walks over. “Why didn’t you go to your boyfriend’s?”
“We broke up.” I shrug. “I know you heard everything at the field.”
“True, but you guys always get back together.”
“Not this time.”
Landon nods slowly. “Wanna go for a walk?”
“Sure.”
We walk down his street and then through a thicket of trees, eventually ending up in his neighborhood park, which is nothing more than a dirty, rundown playground and a picnic table. Landon hops onto the top of the table and pats his hand next to him. When I don’t make a move to join him, he laughs. “C’mon, Harper, I don’t bite.” But the way he says it, almost implies he would like nothing more than to do just that.
“Whatever,” I murmur, taking a seat next to him.
“So, what happened?”
“I walked through the door literally one minute late and my mom grounded me.” I groan, imagining how badly she’s going to flip out when she realizes I’m gone. I really need to learn to think before I act.
“Sounds like she’s just trying to keep you in line.”
“More like keep me locked up. She smelled weed on me and freaked the hell out.”
“At least she cares.” He dips his head down slightly and runs his fingers through his hair.
“Does your mom not care?” I ask, wondering if his parents are like Melissa’s.
“My mom’s dead,” he admits with a sad smile. “Died of a brain aneurism a few years ago.”
“Is that why you moved here?”
He shakes his head. “No, I moved in with my grandma. But last year she passed away and I had no choice but to move in with my dad. My older brother is away at college, so it’s just me and Dad.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, suddenly feeling like shit for bitching about my mom caring when Landon’s isn’t even alive. “So, your dad doesn’t care?”
“It’s not that he doesn’t care. He’s just busy with work, trying to make ends meet. He treats me more like a roommate than his son, which makes sense since my mom was the one who raised me. He was nothing more than an every other weekend dad. I guess it makes it hard to be taken seriously when you only see your kid four days a month.” He scrubs his hands up and down his face and then sets his elbows against the tops of his thighs. “With me being about to graduate, he views me more like a friend than his son.”
“I wish my mom were my friend,” I admit. “It feels like ever since I became a teenager we’ve been at each other’s throats.”
“She’s just trying to be a good mom. Cut her a little slack. It can’t be easy raising a wild child like you.” Landon bumps my shoulder and we both laugh.
“I think you’re talking about Melissa. I have a four-point-two GPA and I’m planning to go to college at NYU. I want to go to art school and one day teach art.”
“So, brains and beauty,” Landon says with a nod. “Getting high isn’t going to help you much.”
“I don’t smoke… haven’t since freshman year. Everyone just assumes I do because I hang out with Melissa.”
A gust of wind comes through and I wrap my arms around myself. I’m wearing long sleeves, but I really should’ve grabbed my hoodie before I left.
Landon notices and unzips his hoodie and hands it to me. “Here.”
“Then you’ll be cold.”
“I’m okay. I was playing ball, so my body is still warm.”
I throw the hoodie over my head. It’s big and soft, and when I lift the hood up, I can faintly smell Landon’s scent on it. It’s fresh and clean, and for some reason makes me want to nuzzle my nose into the fabric.
“So, why do you let everyone think you do?” he asks, forcing me to stop focusing on his scent.
“I guess I don’t really care what they think. I mean, I have a year and a half left and then I’m out of here. If they want to assume I smoke or sleep around like Melissa does, then that’s on them.”